March 15, 1998

Excerpts From Paula Jones Testimony

ASHINGTON -- Following
are excerpts of testimony by Paula Corbin
Jones when she was questioned on Nov. 12,
1997, by President Clinton's lawyer, Robert
S. Bennett, in Federal District Court in
Arkansas:

Q.
Now when you first went in the room, who
spoke first? You or the Governor?

A.
The Governor.

Q.
What did he say? Do you remember?

A.
Yeah. He seemed like he was unloosening
his tie as soon as I -- you know, he came to
the door and opened it because it was already ajar and I knocked on the door facing
and he opened up the door and it seemed like
he was loosening his tie with one hand and
he acted like he had known me for years.
You know. Right off the bat. And I had never
met the guy in my life. And he shook my
hand. And he introduced himself or whatever.

Q.
How did he introduce himself?

A.
"I'm Bill Clinton." I think it was that. I
don't think he said, "I'm the Governor."
"I'm Bill Clinton."

Q.
And then what happened?

A.
"Nice to meet you" or whatever. And then
we proceeded to -- I proceeded to go on in.
And went-- --

Q.
Did you say something to him when he
said, "Hi. I'm Bill Clinton"?

A.
I said, "I'm Paula Corbin" or whatever.

Q.
O.K.

A.
And I think he had said something about
-- he asked me where I was worked and I
told him I was over at AIDC and he said that
he knew -- Dave Herrington was a good
friend of his and he had appointed him to
that job. And then when we went in, on, a
couple of minutes, we went over to the
window because there's a pretty view up
there, because it was really high up. And
that's when he made his first pass at me at
the window.

Q.
O.K. Tell me exactly what he did.

A.
He sat down on the windowsill, leaned up
against it with his bottom. And I was standing in front of him just talking because I was
the one looking out the window. And he
proceeded to -- he just reached right over
while we were talking and we were just
talking in general and I don't know exactly
everything we were talking about but nothing sexual. And --

Q.
Do you remember anything you were
talking about?

A.
I think we were talking about the job or
whatever and about working with the state
or something. I really don't know exactly,
but it wasn't nothing bad that we were
talking about. Because what was so shocking to me is I'm sitting here talking to this
man but nothing related to what's on his
mind and he's over here while he's answering my questions pulling me over like he has
done this a million times and grabs me and
pulls me over to him to the windowsill and
tries to kiss me and just didn't ask me or
nothing. And I was just really shocked. And I
pulled away. That was the first time I pulled
away. I said, "No." I said, "What are you
doing?"

Q.
Now he was still --

A.
I was so scared and nervous.

Q.
Was his back to the window?

A.
Yes.

Q.
So why didn't you just go right out the
door?

A.
You know what? This is the Governor
we're talking about. I had just met the man.
A state trooper sitting outside the door with
a gun. I know that. I'm terrified. And so
what I'm thinking next is what was happening here and what am I going to do next to
get out of this room? Is he going to stop
here? I didn't know but that would be it. But
the man kept on and on until he dropped his
pants. That's why I didn't run out the door. I
was scared.

Q.
After he made a pass at you, you didn't go
right out the door, did you?

A.
No. Because the state trooper was out
there and I knew he was out there.

And I did
not know but what they were taping and had
him out there to -- all kinds of stuff was
going through my mind. Because I'm thinking, this is not happening to me. This cannot
be happening to me. And I thought if I run
out that door, he's going to catch me, because Bill will know I'm fixing to run tell
somebody. I'm not that stupid. I was not
going to run out the door. I was scared to
death.

Q.
So instead of running out the door, what
did you do?

A.
I just moved away from him and got
completely away from him. He was still
sitting on the windowsill.

Q.
All right. And then what happened?

A.
And I went way over like to the middle of
the living area. And I was talking to him
about Hillary. I mean, I was just kind of
trying to ignore what he had just done. And I
was talking to him about Hillary and she
was working with children's things or something, children's schools at the time, and I
remember I was complimenting her on how
she was really good with children. And the
next, you know --

Q.
Then what happened?

A.
I was -- he came over by the wingback
chair close to where I was at. Then it's like
he wasn't even paying attention to what I
was saying to him. Then he goes, "Oh, I love
the way your hair flows down your back.
And I was watching you," and stuff like that.
Downstairs. And then he did it again. Then
he started -- he pulled me over to him while
he was leaning up against the wingback
chair and he took his hands and was running
them up my culottes. And they were long.
They were down to my knees. They were
long, dressy culottes. And he had his hand
up, going up to my middle pelvic area, and
he was kissing me on the neck, you know,
and trying to kiss me on the lips and I
wouldn't let him. And then I backed back. I
said, "Stop it. You know, I'm not this kind of
girl." I mean. And it still -- and then I ran
right over to where the couch was. I thought
what am I going to do? I was trying to
collect my thoughts. I did not know what to
do. I was trying to collect my thoughts. I did
not know what to do. After the second time
-- after the first time, I had rebuffed him.
And then when I got over there and I kind of
sat right there by the end of the couch on the
-- seemed like on the armchair part. And
the next thing you know it, I turn around
because he was kind of back over here, and
he come over there, pulled his pants down,
sat down and asked me to perform oral sex.

Q.
What did he say exactly?

A.
He asked me would I kiss it. He goes --
you know, I can see the look on his face right
now. He asked me, "Would you kiss it for
me?" I mean, it was disgusting.

Q.
Were those the actual words he used?

A.
Yes.

Q.
He didn't use other words?

A.
I think that was it.

Q.
O.K. And what did you say?

A.
I said, "No. I'm not that kind of girl." And
that's when I jumped up. And that's when I
said, "I'm going to get in trouble. I've got to
be going.

I've got to get back to my registration desk." And then he said -- then he was
-- you know, you could tell he was embarrassed and everything. And he was pulling
up his pants. And he said "Well, if you have
any trouble, you have Dave Herrington call
me immediately." And you could tell he was
so embarrassed because of what he had just
done, because I had rejected him.

. . .

Q.
Did he physically hurt you?

A.
Well, if you want to call grabbing me and
-- yeah, he could have, I mean, very easily.
It didn't -- he grabbed me tight to try to get
me to -- to brace me and everything.

Q.
Uh-huh. So what you're saying is that he
physically assaulted you. Is that what
you're saying?

Mr. Campbell: Objection to the extent
that calls for a legal conclusion.

By Mr. Bennett:

Q.
Are you saying he physically assaulted?

A.
He didn't hit me or nothing like that, but
he, you know, pulled me up. He had to touch
me to do that and he did that without me
wanting him to touch me.

Q.
Did he require you to do something
against your will?

A.
He wanted me to do something against
my will.

Q.
That's not my question. Did he require
you to do something against your will?

A.
Well, he tried to kiss me against my will.
Is that what you're saying? I'm not quite
sure.

Q.
You said when he --

A.
Absolutely, but he still wanted me to do it.
Three times he tried to make me do it
against my will. I would say so after the first
time of rejection, yes, he did.

Q.
Did he make you kiss his penis?

A.
No.

Q.
Did you kiss his penis?

A.
No.

Q.
All right. What other damages or injuries
did you sustain?

A.
He threatened me about -- when I opened
the door, he held his hand up there and said,
"You're a smart girl. Let's keep this between ourselves." That's a threat. He don't
want me to tell anybody.